Pulis prepared for tough Bolton test

17 September 2009 15:10
The Potters suffered a 3-1 beating at Bolton on the opening day of last season, conceding all three goals in a nightmare spell before half-time. Pulis admits his players will have to play "at full tilt" this time around to ensure lightening does not strike twice although his side have improved considerably since then. He said: "We got stuffed up there last year. We actually did okay for the majority of the game, but shipping three goals in 11 minutes killed us. "We have learned a lot since then and are a better side now, but I also think Bolton have got stronger as well. "The stats show they have scored more goals than anyone off set plays and that shouldn't come as a surprise. It's going to be a really, really tough game. "They are a very big team with the likes of (Kevin) Davies, (Gary) Cahill, (Zat) Knight, (Tamir) Cohen, (Gretar Rafn) Steinsson and (Fabrice) Muamba. There isn't half some aerial power there. "It will be a back to front game and there will be a lot of challenges in the air, so we will have to be on our mettle and stand up to be counted." Pulis has particular admiration for Kevin Davies after the powerful striker dismantled Stoke's defences last term. He said: "We couldn't handle him and he caused us all sorts of problems. He's as good a focal point as anyone in the Premier League and we will have to do better against him this time around." One player who should help to quell the threat of Davies is former Bolton stopper Abdoulaye Faye, who has become a cult hero for the Stoke fans. But Pulis insisted the Senegal international will not have any thoughts of revenge on his mind when he leads Stoke out. The Stoke boss added: "Abby had a very good couple of years at Bolton and he had more of a point to prove when we played Newcastle, where things didn't go so well for him. "He's a great lad to have around the place and he lives from day to day. He's been a fantastic signing for us and he looks forward to every game." Pulis had a heart to heart with his players earlier this week to make sure they got last Saturday's agonising defeat by Chelsea out of their systems when an injury-time goal saw them go down 2-1 to Chelsea. He said: "We had a good chat on Monday. I was gutted myself, but me and the rest of the staff have to be in the mood to pick people up. "The positives were the players were fantastic against Chelsea and gave every ounce they had. We were level with them until the 94th minute, which was a great effort in itself. "We have to take the defeat on the chin and move on, which is something we've done successfully on a few occasions since we came into the Premier League. There is a terrific spirit in the group and I'm sure we will be ready for Saturday."

Source: Team_Talk